1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to flat bed knitting machines and more particularly is directed to means for detecting movement of the carriage of such a machine across its needle bed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In automated flat bed knitting machines including needle selecting means in a carriage and electronic control means for causing the needle selectors to operate on particular needles pursuant to a predetermined program as the carriage is moved back and forth across the needle bed, it is necessary to generate signals from which the position of the carriage can be determined and to provide the electronic control means with such information so that the needle selectors may be caused to operate at the proper time. Various types of pulse generators having application to the control of automatic knitting machines have been known for some time, such devices being disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 3,313,129, 3,339,381, and 3,782,136. The prior art devices however, have proved to be unreliable in operation or unduly costly when applied to a knitting machine, and it is a prime object of this invention to provide a signal generator which has neither of these disadvantages.